Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $20.10.

A number of research analysts recently commented on BAX shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Baxter International in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Baxter International from $21.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Baxter International from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Baxter International from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BAX. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Baxter International by 169.6% during the second quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Baxter International by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,448 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 686 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Baxter International by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 8,014 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 695 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Baxter International by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 4,452 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 827 shares during the period. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Baxter International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 90.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Baxter International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAX opened at $19.80 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $10.19 billion, a PE ratio of -10.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.59. Baxter International has a fifty-two week low of $17.40 and a fifty-two week high of $37.74. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Baxter International had a negative net margin of 8.51% and a positive return on equity of 16.95%. The business’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. Baxter International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 2.48 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -2.16%.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products, pharmaceutical therapies and biotechnology-based solutions. The company’s primary business activities are organized around renal care, medication delivery, acute therapies, pharmacy automation, surgical care and biotechnology. Baxter’s offerings are designed to support patient care in hospitals, dialysis centers, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities worldwide.

In the renal care segment, Baxter provides hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis systems, water treatment equipment and related disposables, including dialyzers, bloodlines and catheters.